The Dreaming
by Innana
Summary: Buck and his friends celebrate the New Year on the Searcher - but is everything quite what it seems?
1. Chapter 1

_**The Dreaming – chapter 1**_

_**Carpe Diem**_

_Deep in the middle of a thick, dense forest, Captain William "Buck" Rogers was struggling to free himself from the snake-like vines that attacked him. The first blow had knocked him flat on his back. Before he could stand up, however, others had followed; reaching out and wrapping around his body; to trap the space captain in a deadly cocoon of green tentacles. The rope-like tendrils were incredibly strong, cutting through his clothing and into his flesh. Escape was impossible, the more he struggled, the tighter the grasp. He tried to reach his sidearm but it was pinned down against his sides. Suddenly a large ivy shaped leaf swung up, hovered in mid air for a moment then swiftly pressed against his chest. Buck felt a sting as the sharp thorn penetrated his flesh. He felt his limbs starting to go numb as the venom flooded through his veins._

"_Hawk!" He gasped, but he could no longer see his friend through the dense fog that had descended all around them._

"Buck! Buck! Wake up, you're dreaming!" A female voice drifted across the void of time and space until it connected with Buck's unconscious mind, jolting him out of his dream and into the waking world. He opened his eyes to find his friend, Colonel Wilma Deering, leaning over him, concern reflected in her blue-grey eyes.

It took him several seconds to realise that he was lying on his own couch rather than the forest floor. He quickly re-acquainted himself with the familiar décor of his quarters. "Oh!" he groaned, as he rolled to a sitting position and scrubbed his hands over his face. "I must have dozed off. God I had the weirdest dream." He looked thoughtful for a moment then straightened up and turned to face her. "Sorry Wilma. Did you want me for anything in particular?" he asked.

She smiled and sat down on the edge of the sofa. "I was passing by when I heard you calling out for help. I was worried so I got Twiki to override the access panel." She paused, turned to face him, one hand playing absent-mindedly with her chestnut hair, and continued, "I guess you were having a bad dream. Is anything worrying you? How was your mission?"

"No – I'm fine Wilma honest," he replied. "Nothing to report really, was just miles of forests. No real sign of life apart from a load of bugs." Buck realised that he had little recollection of events on the planet. He must have been tired and gone straight to sleep after the journey home. "I hope the next planet we find is a nice tropical world with palm trees and sandy beaches."

"Buck if we find one of those I think the entire ship will wanna go!" she giggled, "I will at any rate."

"Great," he replied. "You bring the hammock and I'll make the cocktails."

"Er... what's a hammock?" Wilma looked perplexed. "Is that some kind of fancy food dish?"

"Well," he replied with a wicked grin, "if we find this fantasy world, I'll just show you – if you promise to share it with me."

Wilma had no idea what a hammock was. If Buck had referred to it as a suspended temporary sleeping unit, she might have guessed. "Um – OK!" she replied enthusiastically, then rolled her eyes when she saw him smirk. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret agreeing to that?"

"I promise you won't regret it Colonel!" he whispered with a twinkle in his eye. Then he jumped up suddenly and slapped his hands on his thighs and enquired, "what time is it?" It was a rhetorical question as a quick glance at his watch confirmed the answer. "Quarter to midnight – only fifteen minutes to go."

Wilma raised her eyebrows and said, "fifteen minutes to go for what?"

"It's – New Year's Eve," he replied. "Can't believe a year has gone by already, doesn't seem two minutes since the last one," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh really," she said brightly. "Well, why don't we go down to the observation deck – it'll be nice to look out into the universe as the year begins – especially considering the Searcher's mission."

He shrugged and said, "OK I guess that sounds like a good idea." He took her lead and followed her across the room towards the doorway. It was just as well that he did because to Buck's surprise, when they reached the usually quiet observation deck, a small crowd of people were already gathered there including Dr Goodfellow, Hawk, Twiki, and Admiral Asimov. They turned to greet the approaching couple as though they had been expecting them to arrive.

"Oh there you are," said the admiral, "I was worried you were going to miss the party!"

Buck stared at them, his gaze switching from the admiral to Dr Goodfellow and the rest of the crowd. "What Party? No-one told me about any party." Then, as they all grinned at him, the penny dropped and he turned to Wilma incredulously. "Was this idea yours by any chance? He asked"

She grinned, flashing pearly white teeth, "I had a little to do with it, yes –and Twiki, he was the one who actually remembered the date."

"Aw thanks Twiki."

The little drone beeped away happily in response. "No problem bub."

"I thought you guys didn't celebrate the tradition of New Year's Eve anymore."

"Well we don't my boy," said Dr Goodfellow. "But Colonel Deering told me all about it and I'm a great believer in traditions as you know, especially when they involve a celebration."

"Well thanks for turning up." Buck laughed, "I didn't think anyone would be interested or I'd have arranged something myself."

"Oh look," the scientist rolled up his cardigan sleeve slightly and pointed to his watch. "It's almost time everyone. I do believe this is where we start the celebrations."

Buck started off the countdown to midnight, encouraging the others to join in. He heard the sound of a cork popping and then he was handed a glass of sparkling vinol. The synthetic alcohol tasted absolutely nothing like champagne, it was the best, however, that the crew of an exploration vessel, in the middle of a journey across the solar system could conjure up at short notice. He was very grateful for the gesture.

"Happy New Year everyone," he said as he raised his glass in a toast, trying not to wince at the over-sweet taste of the mock champagne, "here's to a great year ahead and a successful mission."

Admiral Elfram Asimov raised his glass and chinked it with Buck's. "I'll drink to that Captain Rogers."

One by one the others made the same gesture. Buck felt quite touched at the effort of his friends. He knew that the tradition of bringing in the New Year had been buried at some point in the last five hundred years, whilst the human race fought for survival after the terrible holocaust which had devastated Earth. The people of this time period paid little heed to the annual turning of the Earth. It was just another day, be it on Earth or in deep space – it was all the same. Tonight, though the usual peace and tranquillity of the observation deck was disturbed by the sound of glass clinking upon glass and people making merry.

He felt someone touch his arm and looked down to find it was Wilma. He slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her briefly, leaving her slightly flushed. "Happy New Year Wilma," he said softly. "And – thanks!"

She blushed and gave him a dazzling smile, "It's a pleasure Captain Rogers and at least we didn't put the whole of Earth on red alert this time." She then moved away from him slightly, and turned to gaze out of the viewing portal.

She was referring to the curious riddle of Hieronymus Fox, fellow survivor of Buck's era who had sent a timely gesture of good will in the form of a puzzle exactly one year ago. Unfortunately having been mistaken for a threat this had the leaders of the Defence Directorate fearing an attack from some unknown enemy. Luckily just in time, Buck's logical mind had solved the riddle and Buck, Wilma, Twiki and Dr Huer had celebrated the end of 2491 with style.

From somewhere on the ship, a soft, melodic sound came floating through the walls. Wilma put down her drink on one of the ledges and approached Buck smiling. "Buck would you – like to dance?"

He returned her smile and placed his glass down next to hers, allowing her to take his hand. "I guess we may as well – carpe diem Colonel!" he whispered.

"What does that mean?"

Buck drew her closer to him and placed his hands around her slim waist and whispered in her ear. "it's Latin, it means 'seize the moment'."

"Oh! OK!" she replied and the high ranking, disciplined officer seemed happy for once, to give up control, and let someone else take charge as they moved to the rhythm. Then the music changed to something much slower and they both moved even closer to each other.

The background and all the people in it melted away into a world which contained only the two of them. The song seemed to last for ages and Buck could feel the warmth of her body as they swayed to the lilting melody. He hadn't felt so relaxed and happy for a long time. He smiled to himself as he pressed his cheek against hers, losing track of when one song ended and another began, neither of them caring about the other occupants in the room

"Thanks for this," he whispered into her hair.

She gazed up at him, "You know I'll do anything to make you happy, I love you," she murmured and kissed him. He responded, enfolding her in his arms. If it was out of character for Wilma to make such a bold admission then he didn't notice. Instead, he felt only a warm glow in his heart accompanied by a feeling of total contentment.

But events which had taken place on the planet's surface only a few hours earlier had actually turned much more sinister than Buck was aware of.....and on a nearby planet, amongst rotting leaves and moss lay the unconscious form of Captain William 'Buck' Rogers.

To be continued...

_**Please read and review, all comments appreciated**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Dreaming – Chapter 2**_

_**The ground beneath my feet**_

_A few hours earlier..._

"By the great god Make Make this is not good!" exclaimed Hawk as he sank up to his leather clad knees in swampy, stagnant water and decaying foliage. With increasing horror, he realised that there appeared to be no bottom to the pit.

The Searcher's continuing mission to find the lost tribes of Earth had found Hawk and his companion and fellow shipmate, Captain Buck Rogers, exploring a small and as yet unnamed planet on the far side of the quadrant. Research had revealed that the planet had contained the right levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen and water vapour to make it habitable to human life. Their search had yielded no results as yet.

Hawk now found himself in a terrible predicament as the ground beneath his feet attempted to swallow him whole, feathers and all. The dank stench of the bog permeated his nostrils as he struggled to try and free himself of the cloying mixture. The more he struggled however, the deeper he sank.

Buck who was a few paces behind quickly back-stepped just in time to avoid stepping into the swamp himself. He tried in vain to pull his friend to safety. "Quicksand – Quick! Grab my hand!" he yelled. "And try not to struggle as that will only pull you under quicker."

"I can't – reach!" was the anguished response. "I'm sinking too fast."

The bog had obtained quite a hold of the poor bird-man and by then, he was already buried up to his chest in rotting leaves and filthy water.

"Hold on and try to keep still whilst I find something to pull you out with."

Buck started searching frantically until he found a long, fallen branch. It was damp and half rotten, but it offered a glimmer of hope to his friend who was now up to his neck in the slimy bog. Hawk managed to reach out and grab the proffered stick but couldn't get a good grip as it was too slippery.

"It...It is no use Buck!"

"Hawk!" Buck yelled but it was too late. Hawk's hand slid off the branch and his head disappeared beneath the surface. The ex United States astronaut could only stare in shock, as the last few air bubbles floated to the surface.

Then he sprang into action, "Hawk!" he repeated, as he frantically poked at the pile of leaves.

For a moment there was only silence in the forest, then, suddenly, a black, leather clad arm flew out of the murk and fastened onto the slippery wooden limb. Seconds later this was followed by Hawk's head and chest. Buck heaved on the branch and slowly, reluctantly, the deadly assassin had no choice but to relinquish its prize.

Buck grabbed hold of Hawk's left bicep and managed to pull him further out of the swamp. Gripping the branch with his right hand, Hawk grabbed Buck's arm with the other and with a huge effort managed to haul himself out. The bird-man crouched down on one knee as he took a few moments to recover his breath. The water had been cold and despite his moulded leather clothing, he was chilled to the bone and had started shivering.

Buck breathed a huge sigh of relief. "C'mon Hawk, you're freezing, let's get back to the ship. We have enough samples for Dr Goodfellow."

Hawk nodded and they decided to turn around and make their way back to the shuttle.

"I think," he panted, indicating the branch, "that we should take that with us and use it to check that our path is safe."

"Good idea," buck said in agreement.

Using the branch to feel the solidity of the ground, they carefully picked their way back through the forest.

"Well our instruments are registering life forms but there is no sign of any life so far," Hawk frowned and said thoughtfully, "according to this though, there is life all around us."

"Ah!" Buck replied, "I think I know why, and it is all around us – look, down at the ground."

Hawk looked to see what Buck was talking about. On the forest floor, thousands of beetles were milling around amongst the decaying flora. The two men started carefully turning to look all around them. Then Buck's foot hit something hard. He bent down and carefully shifted the leaves away from the object. It was a skull similar in size and shape to a large dog. Hawk uncovered a couple more of them. Taking a cloth from his back pack, he carefully removed the skull and packed it away for the ship's chief scientist, Dr Goodfellow, to examine. "Looks like some kind of animal, whatever it is, it's long dead anyway."

Buck shook his leg to loosen the bugs that were crawling over his boots and seemed hell-bent on invading his clothing.

We've found nothing on this planet, but a few insects and skulls, thanks fellas. What a way to spend New Year's Eve!" he grumbled, looking skyward.

"New Years Eve?" queried Hawk, "What is that, an old Earth custom?"

"That's exactly what it is," his friend informed him. "It's when in the old Earth calendar, the old year ended. At the stroke of midnight on the last day in December, or Decco as it's now known, people would have a party or just call up friends and family and wish them happiness and luck for the year ahead."

"That sounds like a pleasant custom," Hawk replied, "so that is what people will do on the Searcher tonight?"

Buck shook his head sadly. "I doubt it, judging by last year, it's yet another time old tradition that's gone by the wayside along with most of Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving." Seeing his friend's confused expression, he added, "I'll explain those others some other time Hawk, Let's just get back to the Searcher – before I pick up any more stowaways and you get pneumonia.

"I get a new what?" was the puzzled reply.

"Never mind, let's just get back to the shuttle."

But the insects weren't the only life forms on this damp and dreary world and soon Buck and Hawk were going to have a lot more to worry about than a few bugs!

_To be continued_

_**Please let me know what you think**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Dreaming – Chapter 3**_

_**Poison Ivy**_

The two intrepid explorers trudged through the carpet of leaves back to the shuttle. A blanket of mist was descending rapidly around them and they were both eager to get back to the comfort and warmth of the ship.

They had almost made it back when something attracted their attention. Nestled in the middle of an otherwise insipid looking group of trees was a beautiful, violet coloured flower. Its oval petals were edged with a delicate white and the flower provided a stark contrast to the ubiquitous moss and yellow hues of the rest of the forest. The tree that it belonged to had huge, flat green leaves that were similar in shape to that of ivy. He decided Dr Goodfellow would never forgive him if he didn't check this out. It was worth a closer look, so Buck wandered over to the colourful bloom, but this unfortunately, proved to be a huge mistake.

Before he could react, a slim vine had shot out at lightning speed from near the base of the tree and knocked him flat off his feet. As he tried to recover, another snake-like tendril curled around his waist, pinning him to the ground. The stricken space captain tried in vain to prise it away but it was too strong. As more vines moved in to tie him down even further, Buck found him-self wishing that he and Hawk had never accepted this mission.

_Great, _he thought_, _as he battled to free himself of the organic bonds_, we found the planet of the Triffids!_

Hawk gave a cry of alarm and fired at the base of the plant, but the mist was coming down fast and he didn't want to hit his friend by mistake. For a minute, there was a hiss as the deadly laser made contact with damp wood, then a crackling sound. Another thin, green vine whipped out and caught Hawk's arm, knocking his weapon out of his hand. The fog was too dense to see what had become of it.

He heard Buck cry out, "Hawk! Go, get help, tell Wilma...." then there was only silence."

_Sorry this one is so short but there's more to come..._


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Dreaming – chapter 4**_

_**Search and Rescue**_

Colonel Wilma Deering tried to quell the panic that was rising in her gut as Hawk's anguished voice relayed over the emergency channel. Her calm exterior demeanour gave nothing away of her inner turmoil as she scrambled a rescue mission and begun issuing orders to her assigned crew. Her starfighter streaked ahead of the rescue shuttle as her computerised system tracked the co-ordinates of Hawk's comlink. She knew that every second counted as Buck lay in the forest. She didn't want to contemplate just what could be happening to him right now. She only hoped that the mist enshrouded terrain Hawk had described wasn't too bad for them to land.

P_lease let us be on time_ she prayed. She simply could not contemplate losing Buck. Every time he went away, a small piece of her went with him. He was the most amazing man she had ever encountered and she'd come to care about him more than any other man in her entire life – even she had realised, after the hazardous journey to Oasis, more than she had once cared about her old flame Aram Duvoe. She had long since accepted, though that the special, close friendship she shared with Buck may be all that ever happened between them, and tried to ignore the longing in her heart for more.

When they reached the planet, visibility was poor and if it wasn't for the starfighter's accurate navigation system being able to locate the earlier shuttle, Wilma and her crew would have crashed into the trees. Both ships made it down safely to find a very distressed Hawk waiting for them. It was clear that he was cold and was quickly wrapped in an insulating blanket but he refused to go back to the shuttle until they found Buck.

"Hawk, please you're going to catch a chill," admonished Wilma." but her plea fell on deaf ears and she reluctantly agreed that his input was necessary if they were going to find Buck.

Armed with huge searchlights, the rescue team set off on their perilous journey through the forest. A journey made even more hazardous by the thick fog, combined with the danger of quicksand and the possibility of encountering more of the strange animated plants. One of the party, a tall, stocky man carried on his shoulder a large cylinder which was attached to a rubber hose.

Someone suggested that they waited until the mist cleared but Wilma was resolute and waved off the suggestion.

"We don't have time lieutenant," she said stiffly, "we don't know what Buck is up against – or what's happening to him." Her voice broke as she spoke the last word.

The others glanced at each other. It was obvious to everyone on the Searcher that Colonel Deering cared deeply about Captain Rogers. She would never otherwise have risked such a rescue mission in these terrible conditions, her common sense would have prevailed and told her to wait until the mist lifted but she was adamant. They were going to continue to look for him.

Two unlucky soldiers blundered into the swamp and cried out for help. They were thrown a rope by another team member but only one of them was saved. He could only watch in horror as his ill-fated companion sank without trace.

Wilma felt guilty about the soldier's death, but she knew that the chance of losing a friend or loved one was a possibility every time the Directorate scrambled starfighters or accepted an undercover mission. To dwell on such matters caused hesitation and this could not be allowed. She had always managed to remain professionally detached throughout her career, trying not to let personal feelings hinder her job, usually...

They wandered round for what seemed like ages. It looked to all extent like their mission was going to prove fruitless and even Wilma with a heavy heart contemplated calling off the rescue until visibility had improved, then someone stumbled against an obstruction. At first they thought to be a fallen tree but it was the wrong shape and texture to be a log. A triumphant cry rang through the forest.

"Colonel, it's Captain Rogers – I think we've found him!"

*******

The impending darkness meant they had to act quickly. Buck was shrouded from head to foot in a damp, green cocoon. The strange, alien plant, however fought back! Even more threatening, in its reluctance to relinquish its pray, it wrapped a cruel snake-like tendril around Buck's throat, and started to squeeze the life from him.

Realising the urgency of the matter, Lieutenant Gregory, the man who had been carrying the cylinder stepped forward and pointed the hose at the plant. He turned a switch and a bright green liquid spewed forth. The tendrils which moments earlier were squeezing the life from Buck, now started to shrivel up and die. In the container was a chemical compound prepared by Dr Goodfellow. It was poisonous to the plant but completely harmless to humans. The brave soldier fought tirelessly to free Buck of the remaining, shrivelled bonds, starting with the one fastened around his neck. The leaf attached to Buck's chest at last fell away, leaving an open, bloody wound.

"Captain Rogers, can you hear me? Captain Rogers." He leaned over and put his ear to Buck's lips which had now turned purplish blue. "He's not breathing!" he cried.

Wilma threw herself down on the floor and joined by Hawk, she tore at the vines, not caring or noticing that she was breaking her finger nails in the process. She pulled at the now shrivelled, dead vines, scraped leaves and muck away from Buck's face as tears ran down her cheeks. She placed her hands on Buck's chest, and remembering what Buck had taught her about CPR, she interlocked her fingers and started doing manual chest compressions, until her crew members attached the portable computerised defibrillator. "Come on Buck, you can't leave me – not like this!" She couldn't help but notice though, that the corners of Buck's mouth were turned up in a smile. Whatever this plant had done to him, he looked so...content.

The small device was fitted to Buck's chest. A blue light came on and within seconds it had administered a small electronic shock to the unconscious man.

"We have him," Lieutenant Gregory called out, "Colonel, he's breathing."

Wilma threw her hands up to her face and wiped away the tears, "Thank God," she exclaimed.

Hawk said a silent prayer of thanks to Make Make.

An oxygen mask was quickly placed over Buck's mouth and he slowly drifted back to consciousness. His eyelids started to flicker, "Wilma?" But although the plant was dead, the effects of the venom that Buck had been injected with were far from Over.

_To be continued_


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Dreaming – Chapter 5**_

_**Awakening**_

On the observation deck, Buck could hear Wilma calling to him, but she sounded so far away. Everything started going dim, then there was only blackness and then he was falling. Suddenly he felt hands pulling him back, heard a soft voice that sounded like his mother. "Not yet Buck – it's not your time."

He opened his eyes to find that he was now alone. The observation deck was in darkness apart from the usual glow of starlight and distant heavens outside. He was confused. _Wilma?_ Where had she gone? Where had everyone gone? He crossed the room and turned to look in the outside corridor. It too was in darkness, "Hey guys, it's not April Fools, what's going on?"

"Buck,"

He found her, waiting for him on the bridge. She smiled at him provocatively and slipped her arms around him in a tight hug, "Hi there, I've been waiting for you."

He hugged her back, feeling a little confused." Where did you go? Where are the others?"

"I've been here all the time. The others are around Buck, but don't worry about them, it's just you and me that matter right now," she soothed. Something was wrong, something he couldn't quite work out. She kissed him. When he opened his eyes he was alone again. _Where does she keep going? _He wondered_._ Buck's usual logical mind would have worked out that this was no reality, but the residual traces of the hallucegenic substance had dampened his senses, altering his perception.

*******

Wilma refused to leave Buck's side once back on the Searcher. She kept hold of his hand whilst the medical technician, Lieutenant Paulton administered treatment. Buck though didn't really seem to be aware of Wilma's presence. He called her by name but looked straight through her as if seeing someone else.

Buck opened his eyes again, Wilma was standing to the left of him and he appeared to be lying down. He gazed at her, his mind hazy from the toxins and combined with the effect of the painkiller he had been given by Paulton.

"Wilma!" he murmured.

"I'm right here Buck,"

"What's happening? Why do you keep disappearing?"

She frowned, "Buck I've been here all the time, you're the one who keeps disappearing to who knows where."

"Wha –" he reached out and gripped her shoulders, wincing as the pain of his bruised and battered torso became apparent. "You – said you loved me and then you left me," he stammered.

Her eyes widened in shock at this revelation. "I – buck, I..."she gazed down at him unsure what to do or say in response. "You – you've been dreaming," she told him falteringly. She felt suddenly awkward, and heaved a sigh of relief as Dr Goodfellow entered the room. "Perhaps, Dr Goodfellow will be able to explain it to you better," she said softly.

The old scientist walked over to Buck's bed. "Well now how are you doing Captain Rogers?"

"Dr Goodfellow – you left the party, where did you all go?"

"Party? what's he talking about Colonel Deering?"

Wilma shrugged sadly.

He sighed, "Ah – I think Buck that after examining the remains of that alien plant that attacked you. The thorn which was embedded in your chest contained some kind of venom, presumably to puts its prey into a kind of trance, so it can be kept alive without struggling, until it is digested."

Buck fell back on to his pillow bewildered. "Digested? You mean the party, the dancing – none of that was real and instead I was lying inside a giant Venus Fly Trap?

"Ah yes Venus Fly Trap, an ingenious species of plant which traps insects inside its leaves. Well I suppose there are similarities," he said enthusiastically then realised that his words weren't at all reassuring and patted Buck's arm, "the effects of the poison seem to be wearing off though and I should think you'll be fine in an hour or two. Of course the physical effects will take longer, you sustained lacerations around your neck and torso but I believe that all that being taken care of by our excellent Lieutenant Paulton."

"I see," Buck's mind lingered on the memories, which still seemed to him as real as anything he had ever experienced. His moment of happiness with Wilma, it was all false, a drug induced hallucination and he felt like his brain was going to implode. "I think I would like to rest now, if you don't mind," he said wearily and turned his head on the pillow so it was facing away from his visitors..

"Of course Captain Rogers, of course, we'll leave you to sleep. Colonel?"

"Coming Dr," she replied, her voice faltered on the last word. She turned at the door to take a final glance at Buck, tears threatened to overwhelm her but she refused to let them fall. _He didn't even_ _ask about Hawk,_ she thought sadly.

"He just needs a few days to re-orient himself. Obviously this substance puts the victim into a state of complete contentment. "Not a bad way to go really if you think about it. He'll be ok Colonel,"

"I hate to think of him lying there all wrapped up in that thing," she said and his heart went out to her.

Back in her quarters, Wilma was deep in thought. Buck's reaction, asking them to leave the room, had unsettled her. It was understandable to be disorientated after such an experience, she reasoned, but...it seemed a little more than that. Her mind lingered over the conversation.

_You said you loved me, then you left_. She hadn't known how to react to this. She examined her own feelings. If caring for someone more than anything else, respecting them, trusting them – if that was love then she did love him but had never revealed this to anyone, especially not to him. She wondered now what had prevented her from telling him. Was it pride, that to reveal her soul to him would make her feel more vulnerable than facing a whole fleet of Draconian warships, in a starfighter with disabled laser cannons. Partly perhaps it was this, but it had also been because she didn't know how he felt about her. To be rejected again, whilst having to work side by side with him would break her heart. On top of this she didn't want do anything foolish that might ruin the wonderful esoteric relationship that they had.

She tried to examine everything logically. Dr Goodfellow had said the venom induced a feeling of happiness and contentment in its victims. Buck hadn't dreamed he was back in the 20th Century with his parents and Jennifer, like she would have expected. Instead he had been on the Searcher – and more importantly, with her. Was this just the result of the substance interfering with his subconscious mind or was this where his true desires really lay?

For over an hour, Wilma's troubled mind went over and over Buck's waking words. What was going to happen now? She wondered. Did she take the opportunity to finally tell him once and for all how she felt or did they just carry on as always?

A short while later, Wilma found herself once more outside the sick bay. She felt nervous and apprehensive about how he would react when he saw her. "Hi Buck, she called gingerly, as she entered the room. "How are you feeling now?"

Sheepishly, he replied, "like an idiot that's been on LSD for the last few hours, you must have thought I was mad."

"Not mad," her voice was reassuring – although she had no idea what 'LSD' was. "A little disorientated perhaps." She walked over to his bed side, feeling a little easier.

He shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. "I said some crazy things."

"Forget it."

"That's just it Wilma, it seemed so real to me, I can't just forget it, I felt happier than I had done for the first time in a long while." He sighed. "I'm sorry, you must have been really embarrassed at what I said." He shifted his gaze away from her.

Wilma carefully sat on the side of his bed, "But this could just be the after effects of chemically induced euphoria and it will probably wear off in a couple of days."

"Yeah," he agreed but, maybe it isn't."

"Well I can't risk my own happiness over what-ifs and maybes!" she said tersely and then froze when she realised what she had just said. "I- I mean if we..." she paused, feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious. She could feel her cheeks burning. "

Buck stared at her in shock. "Oh boy I guess we really need to talk, you and I don't we!"

*****

Wilma was caught off guard. "I- I think, we should wait until you feel better Buck, she said hastily, I'll see you later! She rose from her seat.

He caught her hand, "wait a minute, what did you mean about risking your own happiness?"

She sat down again and noticed that Buck never let go of her hand. She took a deep breath and spoke to the quilt, "Buck I- I do love you, and I have for a very long time, but I, well I- I didn't know how you felt about me. And I'd like to think that everything you're feeling is real but – I don't know."

He sensed her discomfort and started stroking her hand softly with his thumb, which made her shiver and she shifted her gaze to his now. "I guess for a long time Wilma neither did I. You've always been special to me – you know that, I just couldn't get involved. I know my behaviour when I first arrived must have left a lot to be desired, and I'm not proud of myself. I was frivolous and reckless and I guess I must have hurt you at times and I'm sorry. "He paused then reached out and touched her cheek. "What I have with you, this _connection_ I've never felt that with anyone before."

A tear escaped from her eyes, which he wiped away gently. She smiled thinly and nodded, "I know!" she didn't know exactly where this was leading but she felt grateful that he had opened up to her like this at least – whatever the outcome.

For a long while they both just gazed into each others' eyes. Time stood still and Wilma dared scarcely breathe for fear of interrupting the moment. Then the spell was broken as Buck winced in pain. The analgesic he had been administered earlier was starting to wear off.

Wilma leaned forward, "Are you OK? Does it hurt? I'll go get you something for the pain." She returned seconds later and gave him the painkiller which provided immediate relief.

"There you see," Buck said softly, "you're the second in command aboard this ship but yet you still take the time to stop and give me medicine instead of waiting for the med tech to do it.. You can command armies and have so much power at your disposal, but yet you're one of the most caring, compassionate people I've ever met. You are such an amazing woman Wilma, and you're beautiful. I do love you and it's real, I know that much."

Wilma blinked twice and stared at him. A huge lump had formed in her throat. Her blue-grey eyes had turned to liquid and her heart was thumping in her chest. She leaned over and kissed him passionately. He responded and she felt the warmth of his lips combined with the fluttering of her own heart. She pressed closer to him and only when he winced did she remember that he was still a very sick man. She pulled back reluctantly and with a sigh, took hold of his hand again.

"Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want? Because I don't think I could handle it if you change your mind in a few days time."

"Wilma – I'm sure," he whispered, and pulled her towards him again.

_A week later_

Two figures were silhouetted in the subdued lighting of the observation deck. Outside, the view from the panoramic window was truly breathtaking. Brightly lit stars twinkled all around and a distant nebula gave an etheric glow to the dazzling starscape.

Inside the room, Buck held Wilma in a dance that was more of a hug with a slight sway. The gentle tune drifted from the from the audio visual entertainment's unit that Buck had rigged up a short while ago. Tonight, Colonel Wilma Deering and Captain Buck Rogers were happy to forget their official titles and be content to just be Buck and Wilma,

"Funny," he murmured, "that plant almost ended my life, but in some ways, I guess it's kind of done me a huge favour."

"Why's that?" she teased.

"Because, if I hadn't had that crazy dream, then we probably wouldn't have got together, I guess every cloud has a silver lining."'

It was only one week into 2493 and it was already proving to be a truly spectacular year.

*****

Hawk made a full recovery, after catching a minor chill from the quicksand. Whilst in sickbay he made an unlikely friend in Lieutenant Paulton who was quite fascinated with his stories about his ancestors.

The strange 'plant' on closer examination and exploration by Dr Goodfellow, was found to actually be an alien life-form which usually preyed on animals. No other of its kind was found on the planet that Buck insisted on naming 'Triffid.

Most of the ship's crew – including the Admiral, on discovery of the new close relationship between Captain Rogers and Colonel Deering, wondered what had took them so long. Twiki's reaction was "it's about time!"

The only person not happy about the relationship was Princess Ardala, when during a routine voyage through Draconian occupied territory, senior crew member of the Searcher were invited on board the Draconian flagship as a gesture of 'goodwill'. However she did not threaten Wilma's life or end the truce, as Buck feared she might. Meeting Hawk softened the blow somewhat.

Hawk's first words on returning to the Searcher were, 'keep that mad woman away from me!"

_The End...for now_

_**Hope you enjoyed this story, reviews appreciated**_

_**Many thanks to white_eyebrow for the beta and suggestions.**_


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